Preparing a medical diagnostic analysis of a patient often comprises a determination of a physiological quantity of the patient. Such quantities may comprise a respiratory frequency or a pulse frequency of the patient which may be associated with a health state of the patient. Determining the physiological quantity of the patient using a contactless technique may allow for non-invasively monitoring the patient, in order to prevent the patient to be exposed to physical loadings.
EP 1 623 667 A1 relates to an apparatus for determining a heart frequency or a respiratory characteristic of a patient using a contactless measuring technique which is based on detecting Doppler induced vibrometric variations of light reflected at an outer surface of the patient. The heart frequency is determined using mathematical procedures relating a motion of the surface to be sensed to a mechanical activity of the heart and of the lungs.
However, such a device for determining a physiological quantity of a patient may be expensive, and may be complicated to operate such that only experienced operators may be able to use the device, in order to prepare a medical diagnostic analysis of the patient.
Further, it is commonly known that a barcode scanning device is usable for reading a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode attached to an object, in order to obtain information related to the object and being stored in the one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode.
US 2008/0149701 A1 describes that that an apparatus configured for generating and displaying a barcode is attachable to a patient. Patient related information, such as a name, an age, a gender, and an address of the patient, as well as medical information of the patient, such as a blood pressure, a temperature, a respiration frequency, and a heart frequency of the patient, may be stored in the displayed barcode. In operation of the apparatus, the displayed barcode is read by a barcode scanner by passing the scanner over the barcode. Accordingly, an operator of the barcode scanner may obtain knowledge about the stored patient information and the stored medical information.
However, preparing a medical diagnostic analysis of a patient using a device for determining a physiological quantity and another device for electronically obtaining further information about the patient may be costly and time-consuming, since multiple devices are necessary for both obtaining information related to the patient and for determining a physiological quantity of the patient.